The Cave
by Ninja.Bush.Duck
Summary: For the past year Steven has been isolated and alone, exploring the depths of new caverns. When he is visited by an old friend, what long-forgotten emotions are forced to the surface? Oneshot.


She always had a certain aura about her; a strong and calm presence. You could almost feel it rippling gently from within her. Or, at least, _he_ always seems to sense it. That's why he doesn't have to guess who she is when he hears the footfalls echoing around the walls of the cavern as she approaches.

She slows as she gets nearer. She sees him, standing, turned away, as if he hasn't noticed her arrival, or doesn't want to. She knows him better than that, however. This is one of his strange habits. A memory pulses through her and she is reminded that he had stood the very same way the first time they had met, years ago, in the depths of Granite Cave.

He had never known anyone with a more beautiful name. He whispers it. The word reverberates around the cavern, slicing the silence like a slender knife, or arrow, and touches both their souls with the gentleness of feathers.

_Amaya._

His voice caresses her ears, a voice she hasn't heard for so long, not in person. She had never realized how much she loved the sound of it until this moment, when there are no distractions, nothing to drown out his words. She waits, completely mute, until the echo of his voice blends and fades into silence, treasuring every moment of it. Then, in response, she utters the young man's name back to him.

_Steven Stone._

He listens as his name rolls off her tongue like a pebble. Then he feels, rather than hears, her moving closer to him, and she asks him to face her. A few long moments pass, then he obliges.

The first thing she had ever found striking about him were his eyes. They are a brilliant blue-gray; piercing, yet dulled from the lack of light he has in dank places like this, underground, where he must have spent more than half of his life. But his eyes still glint through the darkness like the gemstones he endlessly searches for.

He gazes over every inch of her. She had grown -_changed,_ perhaps- since the last time he had seen her. It had been almost a year ago. The both of them had been busy with their own journeys -she had been training for her battle against the Elite Four and he, as always, had been exploring new caverns, gathering new rare stones as he went- and the only communication they had managed was via Pokénav. A few weeks ago, however, she had finally beaten her powerful foes, and now they stood face to face for the first time in so many months.

She feels a smile pushing out at the corners of her mouth. All her life, whenever she had lost something, she had never really realized how much she had missed it until she was reunited with it. She knew one thing for certain, though; It felt amazing to see him again.

An unknown force urges him to be nearer to her. It is strong, filling up his mind and pushing any other thoughts away until it has completely taken him over. He steps closer, arms outstretched towards her. He hopes for all he is worth that she will return the favor.

She doesn't even have to hesitate. Everything about him -his charming stance, fascinating eyes, hair, smile, clothes, body, scent, even his very soul- allures her to enter his embrace, as if they are two magnets attracting each other. She smiles shyly at him, then gently closes the gap between them.

He inhales the scent of her hair. Bittersweet fragrances tease his senses. He is neither repelled nor attracted by it, but something about it is definitely addictive.

Her nostrils are filled with the smell of earth and dirt, wood and moss. It suits him so very well. She smiles again, repeats his name, this time addressing him.

"_Steven?"_

"_Hmm?"_

Her heart thuds against her ribs. It feels good, like the way her lungs burn after a sprint. She pauses, then utters the three words she has needed to say for so long.

"_I love you."_

His pulse begins to race. Suddenly everything feels surreal. It's like he's just realized he's in a dream, but this is far too vivid to be anything of the sort.

Her heartbeat becomes more painful every second she waits.

He takes her by the shoulders and eases her away just enough so he can see her face. He brushes some stray hairs out of her eyes and tucks them behind her ear, slowly stroking her subtle cheek bones.

"_I love you too."_

Then he leans down and kisses her soft, petal-like lips. She immediately returns the favor.

*****

**A/N: I called the female protagonist Amaya rather than May in case anyone mixed her up with the character from the anime. Amaya has 'may' within it and it is also a very pweety name IMO. -^^-**

**I was originally going to do a sad ending... I decided against that because HEY, its Valentines Day and everyone deserves to find happiness and love... even fictional characters. XD**

**Scratch that.**

**ESPECIALLY fictional characters. =P**

**BTW, if you don't have that special someone yet...**

**You just remember, .Duck loves you! X3**

**Happy Valentines everyone!! 3**


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